On April 8,2024 a solar eclipse took place. Certain places got to see it reach its totality and others saw it partially.

With eclipses like these, people need to be aware of the dangers that come along with it. You are at risk of damaging your eyesight if you spend too long looking at it without special viewing glasses. There are many ways you can view it safely.

The special viewing glasses are made to allow people to watch eclipses like this one safely and from a distance. When buying the glasses, ensure they are approved and safe to wear.

There are also many tutorials online on how to make homemade viewing glasses without having to buy some. Regular sunglasses won’t work safely so it’s best not to try, you can create a pinhole projector using a few supplies.

Within a few seconds of looking at the solar eclipse with the naked eye the solar radiation can damage or burn the cells of the retina in the back of your eye causing solar retinopathy or eclipse blindness.

Since there aren’t any pain receptors in our retina, we wouldn’t know the damage is happening until we get symptoms 4-6 hours later and, in some cases, the next day. These symptoms can be a blind or blurry spot in the center of your vision, these symptoms can be temporary and take up to 6 months to heal or can cause permanent damage.

A solar eclipse happens when the moon passes directly between the earth and the sun, and the moon blocks the sun for those who see it from earth.

During a solar eclipse when the moon lines up perfectly with the sun it results in totality, resulting in a shadow that covers North America. This will be known as the great North American Eclipse.

The path of totality will begin in Mexico and extend across Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine before heading into Canada and over the North Atlantic.

A negative effect from solar eclipses is a surge in car accidents and traffic. The last  solar eclipse in 2017, caused a 31% increase in fatal accidents during the astronomic event.

The higher number in accidents wasn’t just because of the eclipse, it was also because there were more travelers on the road that wanted to experience the eclipse firsthand.